An Energy Efficiency Rating, reporting the energy efficiency star rating of the home.

There is also the building approvals and applications file supplied by the ACT government body, ACTPLA. This is gotten by the inspector and added to the above four reports.

Most building inspection organizations in ACT bundle these five reports into one single report, and send it as a digital PDF file.

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1. The Building Inspection:

Vendor/Pre-Sale Inspection AS4349.1

This covers the structural issues as stated in the Structural Inspection below. We check appliances, light switches, plumbing, fixtures etc. Your report will have a comprehensive safety checklist, including any significant maintenance issues. Note our inspectors conduct visual inspections and basic testing only, and are not licensed plumbers or electricians. It is also recommended that clients double check fixtures, and appliances themselves at the final handover meeting as a precaution.

Structural Inspection AS4349.1-2007 Appendix A

A Structural Inspection is carried out in accordance with AS4349.1 – 2007 Appendix A. All accessible structural items in the home are visually inspected for significant defects. This includes inspecting the roof cavity, internal and external walls, the top of the roof from the gutter line, the condition of ceilings, wet area waterproof membranes, retaining walls, moisture problems and other structural issues that commonly occur. A more invasive inspection or damp testing, can be recommended upon the findings of our visual inspection.

2. Compliance Report:

This important report is completed after the inspector receives the plans of your home from the ACT government authority known as ACTPLA. The inspector checks what has been officially allowed to be built on your property, and what is there now, and reports.

3. Termite Inspection Report: AS3000.2-2000

A Pre-Purchase Timber Pest Inspection is a specialised inspection by a licensed pest control technician. This is a visual review of the home, including the roof space, to locate the presence of any structurally harmful pests or fungi. This inspection is visual only. It does not include creating any manholes or floor traps or removing roof tiles.

4. Energy Efficiency Report:

This report takes into consideration the home building materials, the orientation of the home etc. This information is then input into a computer model to generate your energy efficiency rating by a licensed operator.

PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTIONS:

This is the Pre-Purchase Inspection and the Structural Inspection as below.

A pre-purchase inspection by itself is usually requested for as follows:

1: The purchaser is buying a home in New South Wales, which does not have legislation requiring the Vendor Inspection Reports. The purchaser wants to ensure his purchase is safe, by engaging the building inspector directly.2: The purchaser is buying a unit, and not a house in ACT. Units are not covered by the above vendor legislation.3: The purchaser in ACT wants their own independent inspection for their own reasons.

NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION INSPECTIONS

In building your new home, you might wish to inspect at the various stages of construction. When you pay your builder, you do so when that next building stage is ready to proceed. In ACT your builder has to get his work certified by approved accredited certifiers. This inspection can be used in nearby New South Wales. Mostly this inspection is used in ACT where the last two construction inspections are not part of the work of certifiers.

If all this is getting too droll, have a look at the beauty that surrounds us in Canberra. The following pages are photographs of the natural beauty of these highlands. There is My Canberra, My New South Wales, and My Australia. All photographs are by Nick Broadhurst.